Marc Estes

Today is one of the most special days of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I enjoy the Christmas season, celebrating the birth of Jesus,  all the presents and special food. I get excited about Easter and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus as my Lord. I look forward to Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day as a chance to spend some extra quality time with the family and fire up the Barbecue. But Mothers Day is just a little different; its personal, special, emotional and touches a part of my heart that no other day does.

Today is the day I stop and remember MY mom. I think about all the incredible things she has done for me, and just how special she truly is. It is a time to give thanks for all she is and what she represents to me and my three sisters, Dawn, Karen and Penny.  Instead of sending her the usual, predicatable and some time cheesy card, I thought I would tell the world about my mom:

My Mom is the Best Ever Because:

• She brought me into this world - She carried me in her womb for nine months and made sure that I was safe, secure and healthy.
• She gave me life – I know my Lord and my natural father had a part as well, but she chose to allow me to live and have a chance at life.
• She provided all my needs – She gave me the most important elements of life to survive and grow.
• She guided and directed my steps -
• She made me eat my vegetables – Whether that was at the dinner table or for breakfast the next morning because she found the napkin where I hid the brussel sprouts.
• She made me do my chores – She made me stick to my responsibilities and made sure they were done to right specifications, even if it meant that the remainder of the weeds I missed ended up in my bed to remind me to never cheat or lie on the job.
• She pushed me to succeed – She always challenged me to get up and get involved in baseball, football and yes, even badminton… wow thanks for that one.
• She led me to the Lord – She brought me to church and showed me just how central God would be to my life.
• She gave me a heart for worship – Even if i was Evie, the Gather Brothers and Jimmy Swaggert’s Worship hour, I still got a heart to worship God.
• She showed me how to have a heart of compassion – I’ll never forget picking up the blind man on the corner who was stranded and brought him home to live with us. When we asked why, she simply stated, “Because that is just what we do.” My home has been filled with people ever since.
• She showed me how to share my faith – I remember being with her and leading my grandparents to Christ in their deathbed and look forward to seeing them when I get to heaven.
• She showed me how to stand strong in adversity – I watched her cry, yet stand strong in the loss of her husband, Bob and then work through life’s most difficult tragedy and learn to live again.
• She helped me to love food – Thanks for this one mom, after all, what is a party without enough food for the entire city.
• She taught me to celebrate and enjoy life – Life is always exciting every day, no dull moments in the Estes home.
• She taught me to live purposeful – I always wondered where I got the need to build a list for the day at 5 a.m. including my days off. Honestly, it really helped!
• She showed me the importance of family – There has always been a deep love for family and it has always been of the utmost importance.
• She has showed me what it means to be raised by the best mom ever!

Mom, as you celebrate this special day, let it be known to the world, the 60 countries and 49 states in America that follow my blog that you are the best. If this day was started only to commemorate you and all you have done, it would be a national holiday worth celebrating. Mom, I love you, and thank God for you. You truly are the best.

Your ONLY Son,

Marc

NOTE: HOW MOTHER’S DAY STARTED – Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within he next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.? By then it had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to honor the living, a custom that continues to this day.

Every year we have the wonderful privilege of hosting a conference, “Generation Unleashed.” During the first of the year, over 8,000 young people will trek from all parts of the globe to come into a two weekend conference filled with worship, prayer, the Word and a great time. It is always amazing to see up to 4,000 young people being passionate about God; it is a sight to see.

Over the past few years, I have had the wonderful honor of speaking to this hungry generation. This year the theme of the conference was, “Saving Power.” I have had many requests regarding the DVD of the session I spoke, and I was finally able to edit and upload for your review. So here it is for your viewing pleasure. Put on your seat belt and enjoy. You just might be changed.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MEDIA PAGE  and click on top video.

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful privilege of chatting with a fairly passionate man regarding the Bible and Science. He assured me that he had done his homework and nothing ever found in any scientific discovery was ever validated by the Bible. I must say that this man was quite sincere, yet sincerely wrong.  The truth is quite contrary to his grandiose claims.

It is a common perception that the advancement of modern science continues to discredit the Bible.  Though this incredible book was never intended to be a scientific masterpiece, it still has a host of unbelievable statements that further validate it as an infallible writing; the Word of God.  These statements include findings that are known to man that were written long before they could be proven, as well as a number of statements that have still yet to be unlocked.  The shocking reality that all must come to grips with the fact that the Bible doesn’t contain even one scientific irregularity of error. In fact, there is not one single scientific fact that has ever disproved a biblical statement.

Although it would be impractical to list out each statement in detail on this blog, here are a few to encourage you in believing the above statements as well as believing the Bible to be a crucial book for your life. Bill Kimball states these in his book, The Book of Books. This book is one of my favorite books of all time.

In the real of astronomy, men have tried to count the number of stars for centuries. On a clear night, you can see only about 1,160 starts. If stars would be visible to the naked eye. About 150 years before Christ. Hipparchus calculated the number of stars at 1,022. Ptolemy, the father of modern astronomy, gave the number as 1,056. Tycho Brahe cataloged 777, and Kepler counted 1,005. They arrived with these tallies  before the invention of the telescope in the 16th century. These figures seem foolish to modern man who has since discovered that there are over a hundred million stars just in our galaxy and over a hundred million galaxies just like our own. However, 600 years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah revaled that the number of stars was innumerable when he wrote, “the host (stars) of heaven cannot be numbered” (Jer. 33:22 NKJV).

Only a few hundred years ago, men believed that the earth was flat and that anyone who dared sail too far out from land would eventually drop off the edge of the earth or be swallowed by great sea monsters. However, nearly 2,200 years before the 15th century explorers discovered that the world wasn’t flat after all, Isaiah the prophet established this fact. In referring to God’s Rulership Isaiah stated, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah. 40:22). The Hebrew word for “circle” (chuwg) in this verse actually means “sphericity” or “roundness.”

Here are a few others to further validate my point:

• Gravitational field around the earth – Job 26:7
• The hydrologic cycle – Ecclesiastes 1:7
• The principle of evaporation – Psalm 135:7
• The meteorological circulation of the atmosphere - Ecclesiastes 1:6
• The principle of mass-energy equivalents – Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17
• The law of progressive entropy – Psalm 102: 25, 27
• The immensity of the universe – Job 22:12; Isaiah 55:9; Jeremiah 31:37
• The principle of blood circulation – Leviticus 17:11
• The law of conservation of mass and energy - 2 Peter 3:7
• The source of the Earth’s energy – Genesis 1:14, 17; Psalm 19:6
• The concept of atomic disintegration – 2 Peter 3:10
• The rotation of the earth – Job 38:12, 14

The fact is that modern science does not pose a threat to Christianity or the Bible. It is not a foe, but an ally. The steady progress of science only works to vindicate the Bible’s reliability rather than discredit it. The premature conclusion of many that “science undermines the Bible” continues to prove itself a fallacy. It should be more appropriately be rephrased, “science supports the bible.” The yearly advances of scientific study will increasingly confirm the scriptures’ accuracy. Time in on our side.

One of the most unfortunate realities of modern day is that fact that the Bible is the best selling book every week, every year for as long as book selling has been recorded. I have often wondered why they won’t put it at the #1 slot of the New York Best Sellers list? After all, it does sell more books than all the books in the top ten slots combined.

It was the first major book printed by Johannes Guttenberg’s press in 1456. Since that initial printing, there have been almost 8 billion printed. Just last year alone, there were almost 600 million distributed. Africa distributed over 15 million last year, The Americas printed a staggering 304 million, 235 million in Asia and the Pacific and over 11 million in Europe.  The Gideon Bible Society, who has distributed free bibles to motels, hotels, prisons and armed forces have distributed over 350 million bibles in 55 languages, 134 countries, and averaging about 1 million copes in those 55 languages every two weeks!

More people have read the bible than all other books combined and after 1900 years, the bible is still read by billions of people and remains the most important, widely read, memorized and influential book in the entire world.

I am thankful for the Word of God and its transforming affect in my life.  Recently, I came across a Bible proclamation that I have used in a few sermons. It is worth the read…

“This book our guiding light, it’s a lamp onto our feet, a light unto our path, it’s our manna, daily bread, its our answers to life’s problems, its our comfort to our deepest wounds, it’s our counsel in making life changing decisions, its our protector from evil and destruction. Its our strength in times of weakness, its our peace in seasons of unrest, its our joy during periods of turmoil. It is the mind of God, its the state of man, its the way of salvation, its the doom of sinners, its the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. it will make you wise, it directs you to safety and causes you to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. In it, paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, memorize it frequently, and devour it prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.  AMEN!”

My wife and I had the wonderful privilege of adopting two mentally challenged Spanish-Indian boys, our sons Aaron and Kyle, when they were just infants. Their biological parents were both mentally handicapped, homeless, and heavily involved in alcohol and drugs.

Through our years of foster care previous to adopting the boys, we felt our role was to provide a loving, safe environment for children until their existing home was stabilized. We never chose or, for that matter, even considered adopting children. Aaron and Kyle were different. Despite the implications we knew would be involved in caring for children with severe mental handicaps, we were confident God was asking us to choose these little boys, to pull them out of the state system and invest them into our home and family forever. We have never regretted making that choice. Aaron and Kyle are both teenagers now and have become our very own; loved, accepted, and quite significant to our family. We were made for each other. We belong together.

It’s interesting to see how life teaches you some of God’s most important secrets. I have come to realize that God didn’t place me in Aaron and Kyle’s path (although there may be some merit to this), but rather God placed them in my path. Over the years, I have learned much more about the heart of God from my boys than they may ever learn from me. God has shown me, time and time again, that in the same way they were chosen, given a new chance at life, loved, and made part of our family, so have my wife and I been chosen by God and placed into the wonderful family of God where we are greatly loved and accepted.

You too, my friend, have been personally created and chosen by God Himself. He lovingly created you and placed you in your mother’s womb, every strand of your DNA expressly designed by Him for your unique purpose. The psalmist wrote, “You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something” (Ps. 139:15, MSG). You are no accident, but a deliberate act of creation, chosen to be part of God’s divine plan. Through relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, God has set you apart and called you by His grace. He has adopted you into His family … where you belong.

Over the past few months I have been asked where one might find speaking messages that I have done. Thanks to my great friend, George Ross, I am now able to upload my messages to my blog.  In the next few weeks, I will be uploading a few dozen messages. I hope you get a chance to listen to these messages and that they inspire you. The first series that I put up for your use is my “Jesus Today Seminar” that was recorded a few years ago in Roseville, California. This is a six part series based on one of my books. I think you will be challenged and inspired to be more like Him.  To go directly to the page with the messages just click below:

Marc’s Messages